Improvement in cartridge-boxes



J. W. FRAZIER. Improvement in Cartridge Boxs. No.V 123,883.

WITNESSES.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH W. ERAZIER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARTRIDGE-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 123,883, dated February20, 1872.

Specification describing; an Improvement in Cartridge-Boxes, invented byJ osnru XV. FRA- ZlER, of Newark, Essex county, New Jersey.

Improvement in Om'trt'dgeBwes.

box; Fig. 2, a vertical section oi' the. same,

and Fig. 3, a view illustratingr a modification Ot' my invention.

The greatest objection to ordinary cartridgebOXes is the manipulationdemandedin extracting acharge. 1n order to do this,itis necessary toholdup the double tlap in front ot' the box, a matter of inconvenience,it' not diiiiculty, for the soldier, especially when in action and whenhe is armed with a breech-loader. Lloldingthe. weapon in his left hand,the soldier must unbutton and elevate the i'lap in order to gain accessto the interior, and while he extracts a cartridge with the iinger andthumb of the right hand, it is necessary to hold up the flap by pressingit against his body with the elbow oi' his left arm-in other words, thesoldier is compelled to adopt a very complex system ot manipulation, inorder to extract a cartridge from an ordinary box and insert it into thebreech of the tire-arm; and the difficulty of these manipulations isincreased by the excitement ot" the soldier in action, and by the rapidloading and discharging of weapons demanded by modern warfare.

My invention, which I will now proceed to describe, has been designedwith the view of rendering more simple the operation of withdrawingcartridges t'rom a box.

A is the body ofthe box, made ot' leather as usual, and of the ordinaryshape, and within this body are deposited the wooden block or blocks,having a number of holes for receiving the metallic cartridges. In thepresent instance there are two wooden blocks, B and B', hinged togetherat a, for a purpose rendered apparent in a separate application for apatent, which I have made for a knapsack and cartridge-blocks combined.The cartridges are retained in the holes of the lower block B', by astrap, b, fastened to one end ot' the said block, and passing beneaththe heads ot' the cartridges, as shown in Fig. 2, the outer end ot' thestrap being turned up against and buttoned to the opposite end ot' theblock. NVhen the uppertier of cartrid gesh as been exhausted, bothwooden blocks are withdrawn from the body of the box and reinsertedtherein after being reversed, so that what was previously the lowerblock becomes the upper block, from which the cartridges may bewithdrawn after unbuttoning the strap b. In order to permit the readywithdrawal of thc blocks from the body ot' the box, the opposite sidesare cut away at m fr, Fig. 1, to allow the operator t0 grasp the upperportion ot' the upper block between his iinger and thumb. lnstead otlthe usual iiaps for closing the top ot' the body of the box, I employ ai'alling lid, D, having at one end a strap, d, united inanysuitablemanner to the end el ot' the body, near the lower portion ot'the same, the strap being longenough to permit the lid to fall to theposition shown in Fig. l. I he outer end of the lid is furnished with ashort strap, f, provided with a slot for 'attachment to a stud, h, atthe end e ot the body ofthe box. The soldier, desiring to gain access tothe cartridges, has simply to unbutton the strap f and throw the lidback to the position shown inlrig. 1, when hehas noi'urther care aboutkeeping the box open, such as is required to keep up the tiap 0i' anordinary cartridge-box, both hands and arms being at liberty to withdrawthe cartridges from the box, load his iire-arm, and discharge the sameas rapidly as he may desire. rIhe falling lid may be attached to thefront of the bar, as shown in Fig. 3; iu this case, however, the hanginglid would be more in the soldiers way than one hanging on the end of thebox, as shown in Fig. l.

I claim as my invention-- A cartridge-box, having a lid hung by aiiexible strap, or its equivalent, substantially in the manner and forthe purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribin g witnesses.

Vitnesses: JOSEPH W. FRAZIER.

H. HowsoN, JNO. B. HARDING.

